Thankful for responses!

My son Lee is Mom’s oldest grandchild, and he and I went to visit her one morning recently. We had an interesting conversation following the visit.

What we noticed was how alert Mom still is, even though she is unable to communicate very well verbally. When we arrived, Mom was still in bed. She does not like getting up out of her cozy, warm nest, and she does not mind letting the caregiver know exactly how she feels. So I went in to speak to her, thinking I would wake her up gently. Even when she looked up and saw me, her beloved daughter instead of one of the other ladies, she was not happy. She was nice but not overjoyed. I told her I would get her a cup of coffee, and then I left her room.

Evidently she used all her politeness on me because she looked like she was “fit to be tied” when she was rolled into the living room in her wheelchair. We could almost see sparks as she looked around, so angry she was ready to throw something!

Yet when her eyes fell on Lee and me, her demeanor changed almost immediately. The anger in her eyes left instantly, and she smiled at us, looking genuinely glad to see us. I believe it was Lee’s presence that brought about the warmth in her reception. They have always had a special relationship, and his conversational tone has a calming effect on her.

So, what is encouraging at this point in the journey we are all on with Mom is the connectedness she still possesses. She does reach out to us, and we are able to stay in touch with her, even though it might not be in the way we would have planned for this stage of our lives together. Of course, we would love to have her around the piano singing with us. But since we cannot, at least she is still responding with smiles, arched- eyebrow expressions, chuckles, and touch. Some sentences, though short, are perfectly logical and easily understood; some are not. But we still have our Mom responding to us at 86, and for this we are thankful!